Mom, I Want to Introduce you to Someone
by Da Games Elite
Summary: Haruka and Michiru realize they have never met the other's parents, nor have they told their parents about the nature of their relationship together. Will their parents accept their relationship, or reject it with every ounce of their being?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! I've wanted to write a Haruka/Michiru fic for some time, but right now I think is the first time in a while I've set out to write with a specific idea for a one shot. I hope this turns out well, just as I hope you enjoy it. This will probably just be a two shot, though. But enough talk, more action, right? Well, here it is! Enjoy!

I needn't state how Sailor Moon isn't owned by me and what have you, do I?

#

**"Mom, I Want to Introduce you to Someone…"**

**Da Games Elite**

**Part 1 – The Kaioh Family**

The rhythmic rocking between the two bodies as they held each other close in each others arms, the passion in their lips and mouths as two became one, was enough to let the world around the blue haired beauty and her formidable prince charming die down in the background, disappear around them as though it were never to be or never had been. All that was and would be was there in their arms, in their hearts, in their very souls. The soft flesh of Michiru Kaioh's arms gave way to Haruka Tenoh's strong fingers as she dragged them across her lover's gentle body, toned from swimming, yet unable to ever rid herself of the gentle softness of a woman's body.

"Uh, Haruka-papa?"

The moment died almost as soon as it had begun. The passion seemed to fizzle out rather than crescendo, and Haruka Tenoh, race car driver, track star, and now officially adoptive "father", glanced over at her 8 year old short dark haired daughter, Hotaru, as she stared at the two fully dressed women, her parents, as they clung together, so deep in their passion for one another they had forgotten to lock the door, or ask Setsuna, down in her study, to ensure Hotaru didn't walk in to see them in this position.

Haruka pushed herself up, brushing her short sandy hair out of her eyes. Likewise, Michiru pushed herself off of her mattress, gently pulling her unrestrained blue locks behind her shoulders, in a more appropriate manor in front of the girl whom was now legally her daughter. Haruka was only grateful that Hotaru hadn't in on them in a more compromising position. "Uh, hey there, my princess," Haruka stammered, awkwardly.

"What were you two doing?" Hotaru asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Never you mind. Just, uh, kissing," Haruka said, figuring that excuse wasn't too far off from the truth, as they were indeed kissing, albeit Haruka had planned to go to the next step beyond that. Why hadn't she told Setsuna to keep Hotaru in one damn room, anyway?

"Oh, okay. It looked like you two were in pain or something."

"Hotaru, you did have a reason for coming in like this, right?" Michiru asked, in her soft, gentle voice, so much like the sea that Haruka adored so dearly.

"Yeah," Hotaru said, "Setsuna wanted me to send you guys a message."

"Why didn't Setsuna just come up herself?" Haruka asked, remembering Hotaru's third legal parent, Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, the Soldier of Time and Space.

"Well, she would've, but she was looking at an old photo album."

"A photo album?" Haruka asked, "Michiru, one of your albums, I guess?"

"Well, I have a few dozen downstairs," Michiru replied, shrugging, "Hotaru, did you get a good look at which one she was looking at?"

"Well, yeah, that's why she sent me up," Hotaru replied, "She wanted me to ask you guys about your parents."

Haruka glanced at Michiru, now blushing deep red. Her parents. For all the time they had been dating, Haruka had never once encountered Michiru's parents. She had never put much thought into it, and, after all, they had only been dating for about a year now. They had first met, after all, when Haruka's powers as Sailor Uranus, the Soldier of the Air, were just beginning to awaken. Michiru had most graciously aided her in her awakening, Michiru herself being the Soldier of the Sea, Sailor Neptune. The fact was, by this point, she was surprised Michiru had never even mentioned her parents. Well, it wasn't like Haruka mentioned her own parents too often either, but that was a different story altogether.

"Oh, she's looking at one of my childhood albums?" Michiru asked, blushing slightly, "They were so sloppily prepared."

"You're worried about the composition of the albums rather than the actual contents? Isn't that personal information Setsuna's just fingering through?" Haruka asked, mildly surprised by her girlfriend's reaction.

"Well, I don't mind if Setsuna knows about my parents or not. I'm more upset about the balance on each of those pages! Just so off-key, and the pictures themselves are so unsophisticated."

"Michiru-mama, the album is beautiful," Hotraru replied, "All of your stuff is."

"Aw, thanks sweetie," Michiru replied, beaming slightly.

Haruka, figuring that her moment of passion wasn't going to just spring back any time now, pushed herself off of her bed as she ran a hand through her sandy hair. "Can I see the album?"

"Sure," Michiru replied, nonchalantly.

Haruka approached the doorway, only for Hotaru to cling to her side. It was ironic. Just six months ago, six short months ago, Haruka had tried to kill that poor girl to prevent the arrival of Sailor Saturn, the Soldier of Death and Destruction. How amazing a few months could do to change one's perspectives. And yet, a few weeks ago, she had dealt with Galaxia, and needed to dirty her hands yet again with the blood of her comrades, with her very housemates! Thank God Usagi was able to reverse the damage she had done, but even so, just seeing her little daughter smile sent a wave of guilt up Haruka's spine.

Not like she'd show it, of course.

Haruka became aware of the presence of her blue haired soul mate behind her as she hopped down the stairs behind her. She was dressed in a set of comfortable baby-blue pajamas, the fuzzy interior both comfortable to the aqua haired artist and lovely to behold in the eyes of the sandy haired lesbian. Oh, how she loved that beautiful Michiru, her soft gentle curves, her elegant face.

As they walked to the living room where the tall Setsuna sat crouched over a book, her dark emerald hair running over her back, Haruka caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She looked like crap. Sure, she was in the best shape physically in her life, but she had dark bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She had been training for a rather intense race that was due to occur in a few months, and had, as a result, been exhausted half of the time, on top of her other responsibilities as a student of Mugen Academy. All in all, right now, life stunk. Michiru and her little Princess were the only things that really were supplying Haruka any sort of joy these past few days.

Setsuna wasn't helping matters.

"Michiru, I found a rather curious image of you in this book," Setsuna replied, in her signature lofty, almost celestial, tone.

"Oh? What is—oh! My 8th birthday party!" Michiru cooed, a girly smile on her lips, "I almost remember that moment."

Haruka leaned in for a closer examination of the image. There Michiru was, center stage in front of a large group of young guests, playing her violin like the professional she was today. It was strange; Michiru hadn't changed at all. Even as a child no older than Hotaru, she was the sweet angel Haruka loved. Her blue hair, now long and flowing, was shoulder length, like Hotaru's, only wavier. Her eyes were closed in serene concentration, and Haruka could almost hear the melody being exuded from the instrument.

"There's my parents." Michiru pointed out two adults in the front of the audiences, a look of pride upon their faces. Haruka couldn't see them clearly as their faces were slightly blurred. However, it was that image that inspired Haruka to speak.

"I've never met your parents before, Michiru," Haruka replied, "When will I?"

Michiru stopped cold. She remained silent for a moment or two before turning to face Haruka, a look of surprise upon her face. "Oh, are you sure you've never met them?"

"Nope. Never."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you met them at one of my concerts. Forgive me. Uh, but wait a second, Haruka. I've never met your parents either."

"My parents?" Haruka reflected on her own parents, both off in Osaka, far away from the two of them, out of their reach. Surely Michiru wasn't suggesting Haruka brought her to see them? No, certainly not. After all, it wasn't like it was at all doable, right? Surely they had big plans for the holidays or something like that. Why would Haruka need to explain that she was living with another woman to them, that she had deflowered herself so readily at the young age of 17, that she was no longer their precious, innocent daughter?

"Why don't we meet them, Haruka?" Michiru asked.

"I have grandparents?" Hotaru asked, curiously.

Setsuna seemed mighty proud of herself. Haruka glared at her through her narrowed eyes. She was planning something, wasn't she? Maybe Haruka was just being paranoid, but she knew Setsuna knew that this would all happen the moment she picked up those books! Damn her! Haruka repressed her frustration, and focused rather on her Goddess lover. Her eyes were so determined, so deep like the sea. She couldn't say no to that face.

"Well, let's met yours, too," Haruka replied, well aware that Michiru couldn't resist Haruka's gaze, just as Haruka couldn't resist Michiru.

Michiru grimaced. "Alright. No problem. Your parents first."

"No, yours."

"How about we flip a coin?" Setsuna asked, withdrawing a quarter from her pocket, "Haruka—no, Michiru, heads or tails?"

"Heads."

Setsuna flipped the coin, catching it in her palm. She opened her hand up, smiled slightly, and whispered, "Tails."

#

Haruka felt so comfortable behind the wheel of a car. Sure, she wasn't REALLY supposed to be driving, but thanks to her foreign license, she could do whatever she wanted behind the wheel. She did love technicalities like that allowing her to experience the great bounties of the open road. With Michiru at her side, and Setsuna and Hotaru behind her, she felt calmer already about meeting Michiru's parents.

They were living out of the city in a small development for the rich and powerful. Michiru's parents were the proud owners of a series of concert halls, instrumental societies, and art museums where the higher up members in society could go for some classy entertainment. Naturally, as far as Haruka could tell, their influence was one of the reasons her darling Michiru had become a teenage wonder in the field of classical music. It helped to know people in the business.

"Are we there yet?" Haruka asked, curiously.

"Almost," Michiru replied, "You are such a child sometimes."

Haruka flashed her one of her rather handsome grins. "You don't say that during the nights we spend—

"Don't talk like that in front of Hotaru, Haruka," Setsuna replied, tensely.

"Oh, right!" Haruka blushed deep red. She kept forgetting about their daughter. She mustn't think that way anymore. She wasn't alone with Michiru making funny jokes anymore. She was, for all intents and purposes, Hotaru's father. She needed to behave like one if she wished for Hotaru to give her any respect. As opposed to her own father, the bastard.

"Left turn, Haruka!"

"Oh, right." Haruka pulled down a cobblestone street toward a rather large, elaborate house, four stories high, beautiful slanted roofs over every window, an elegant fence, beautiful things that Haruka doubted could be bought on her budget as a racer. Just what did Michiru's parents do for a living, and how could she convince Setsuna to move into that line of business for her?

"We're here," Michiru cheered, exiting the car. She was dressed in a rather tasteful sparkling dress that reminded Haruka of the sky. Funny, since that was essentially Uranus's element. Haruka was dressed in her favorite formal attire: a tuxedo. Haruka assumed that Michiru had never told her parents about her, so Haruka figured it was best if she looked like a man in order to lessen the shock of her true identity. That and, of course, she loved screwing around with people, making them think she was a guy when she really wasn't. It always sent a warm spark of joy through her heart when that happened.

The quartet approached the Kaioh family's door, and Michiru, feeling brave, tapped her knuckles on the door. A minute, maybe two, passed before the door opened. There, in the open threshold, was a woman. A beautiful woman at that with elegant blue hair a mere shade darker than her daughter's own locks. Simply looking at this woman, Haruka saw Michiru twenty-five years older, and knew that the future was bright. Michiru beamed at her mother, saying in a light hearted tone, "Hello, mother."

"Michiru? Is that—oh my God! You've grown so much since I last saw you," her mother replied, wrapping her up in her arms, pulling her tightly as Michiru pulled her into an embrace of her own. After a moment of comfort, Michiru's mother noticed the entourage of people behind her. "Friends of yours?" Mrs. Kaioh asked, confused.

"I'm Haruka Tenoh," Haruka replied, "And I'm—"

"Mother, there's a reason I came here today," Michiru interrupted, overshadowing Haruka's voice.

"A reason?" Michiru's mother glanced over at Haruka, then at Michiru, then back at Haruka again. The gears in her mother's head began to turn. Haruka could see that much already. It was when her mother's lips twisted into a proud grin that Haruka grew confused. Proud your daughter was a lesbian? How awkward was that? "This is your boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Pffft!" Haruka giggled to herself as Hotaru glanced up at her, curiously.

"What's wrong, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked.

Mrs. Kaioh beckoned for them to enter, leading them into the entrance hall of their downright massive mansion. There was no other way of referring to it as anything other than a damn palace! Haruka felt inadequate looking at the large chandelier, the fountains lining the wall, the great statues and suits of Samurai armor lining the fountains. What family did Michiru belong to, anyway? Why were they so damn rich!?

Michiru's mother finally led them into a rather comfortable living area. She gestured toward a lovely red sofa, where the quartet decided to take their seats. Mrs. Kaioh's thin smile and pale blush filled her face as she glanced at the other half of Michiru's party. "Who're you? Friends?"

"It's complicated," Setsuna replied.

"Everything always is," Mrs. Kaioh replied, in an all-knowing tone. She glanced up at the ceiling, and called out, "Yusuke! We have a visitor! Yusuke!"

"I'll be right down, Yumi! Hang on a second!"

"Come down soon! Michiru's brought a guy home!"

Again, Haruka couldn't help but laugh silently to herself. This laughter was increased upon hearing the sound of footsteps beating against the ceiling as her father darted down to the ground floor, staring wide-eyed at his daughter and Haruka. He didn't look much like Michiru. He had plain dark hair, a relatively pale complexion, not like his daughter at all. Michiru must've inherited her looks from her mother. That was probably a good thing.

"Alright, who're you three?" Michiru's father, Yusuke Kaioh, asked, anxiously.

"I'm Setsuna, this is Hotaru, and that's Haruka," Setsuna explained, hastily, "And I think that Hotaru and I should give you four a bit of alone time. Come along, Hotaru."

"Oh, okay."

As Setsuna ushered their daughter out of the room, Haruka found herself alone with Michiru's parents. She felt her heart beat against her ribs as Yusuke, Mr. Kaioh, took a seat directly across from her. She swallowed anxiously as she nodded, struggling to look calm. "Hi there," Haruka said in a flat voice. Mr. Kaioh didn't respond.

"So, you must tell us everything about this young boy," Mrs. Kaioh said, smiling, "Did you two meet at Mugen Academy?"

"Yes, sort of," Michiru replied, "Listen, mom, dad, there's something I need to tell you about Haruka here."

"Have you made my daughter pregnant?" Mr. Kaioh snapped at Haruka, a death glare in his eyes. All at once, Haruka broke down into laughter. She couldn't take it anymore. The idea of her impregnating Michiru was simply one she found all too funny for words. Mr. Kaioh, however, didn't share her amusement of the situation. "Just what's so funny? What's so damn amusing about that, huh?"

Haruka controlled herself, still giggling a little before speaking. "Nothing, sir. It's just funny because that I can't impregnate Michiru even if I wanted to."

"And why is that exactly?" Mrs. Kaioh asked, her former look of joy giving way to confusion, "Are you infertile?"

"No, that's not it; it's because I have ovaries," Haruka replied, a small grin on her lips.

There was a moment of silence before Haruka realized what she had just said. She hunched forward, running a hand through her hair, sweat on her brow. She glanced over at Michiru. She had wanted to say that to her parents, wanted to tell her the truth about who she really was, and Haruka had just spoiled her moment to release all that tension into the air. Sighing, Haruka declared, sitting up, "I'll just go get us a few glasses of—"

"Sit down," Mr. Kaioh snapped.

"Yes sir."

Michiru glanced up at her parents, a pleading glint in her eyes. "Yeah, well, that's what I wanted to tell you. I have a girlfriend. I'm a—a—"

"A lesbian?" Michiru's mother finished, a note of concern on her face.

"Well, yes," Michiru replied, frowning slightly.

"How long have you known, exactly?" Michiru's mother asked.

"A few months now. Like for the past year."

"You've been dating for a year and you haven't told us?" Mr. Kaioh asked, surprised.

"I was just worried that—"

"Worried we wouldn't accept you?" Mrs. Kaioh stammered, blushing deep red.

"Well, yeah, exactly," Michiru replied, frowning.

Her mother shook her head in disbelief. "Michiru, when have I ever implied I wouldn't full heartedly accept anything you do in this world? Lesbian? That's fine in my books. You aren't into drugs, smoking all the time, stealing, killing. There are worse things in the world than being a lesbian. Don't worry about telling us that sort of thing. The next time you're worried about something like that, just tell us. We'll be here for you. It's better than just bottling everything up inside, right Yusuke?"

"Why're you wearing a suit?" Mr. Kaioh interrogated Haruka.

"Yusuke…"

"I like tuxedos," Haruka replied, blushing, "It's a pretty expensive tux, too."

"And why aren't you acting like a girl?"

"Yusuke, stop, for Michiru's sake."

"Gender roles suck, that's why."

"So are you a transvestite or something?"

"Yusuke!" Mrs. Kaioh's shrill voice distracted everyone from Haruka, in particular Mr. Kaioh. He stared at his wife for a prolonged period of time before she finally asked, in a tone most unsetting for someone who just shouted at the top of her lungs, "Aren't you happy for Michiru?"

Mr. Kaioh glanced over at his daughter, and, with his weary eyes, murmured, "I'm fine with whatever gender you're dating. At least I know you won't find yourself pregnant over this girl."

"This girl? I've been demoted to this girl?" Haruka murmured.

Michiru, however, seemed satisfied by her parent's response. Her eyes began to sparkle as she brushed aside her own tears, staring in awe at her father and mother. "Mother, I—"

"Don't you worry about a thing, Michiru. No matter what happens, you'll always be my daughter."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2 – The Tenoh Family**

"Haruka-papa!"

"Princess, welcome—oh, you brought Chibiusa home with you?" There her daughter Hotaru stood in the doorway, running her bony fingers through her straight locks, still in her school uniform, with her good friend standing at her side. Chibiusa, the future pink haired daughter of their Princess, stood at her Hotaru's side, a wide goofy grin on her lips. Haruka was always relatively surprised that Hotaru and Chibiusa were such good friends. They looked so greatly different. Hotaru was frail with relatively ordinary looking hair, while Chibiusa was a bit on the stocky side, maybe pudgy, with two extremely large, in your face crescent moon shaped buns that almost qualified as oddly shaped pigtails. Hotaru was withdrawn in school, but Chibiusa was more confident, outgoing. Perhaps the two completed one another.

Just like Haruka and Michiru completed each other.

"Wait a second, Hotaru, Chibiusa doesn't go to your school," Haruka said, confused, "How did she—"

"Haruka!"

Haruka glanced up over the heads of the two children to see her Princess and future Queen, the Soldier of the Moon, Sailor Moon, dressed up in her civilian identity as Usagi Tsukino. She had that signature goofy grin on her lips as she waved childishly at Haruka. She couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "Ah, buns-head. Should've known."

Usagi took a few steps forward, only to step on one of her obnoxiously long ponytails. She cried out in pain before stumbling to the floor, hitting her head against the concrete. Chibiusa shook her head in disbelief and embarrassment as Haruka took a few cautious steps forward. However, before she could reach Usagi, their future Queen had risen to her feet, tears in her eyes, a big red mark covering her forehead. "It hurts! Ow! It really, really hurt! Waaaahhhhhh…"

"Stupid Usagi," Chibiusa muttered under her breath.

"Usagi, why don't you just come in side for a bit?" Haruka asked, cautiously.

"But—but—"

"I'll be able to treat your injury better that way," Haruka replied, mildly.

"I guess so. Sniff."

Haruka took Usagi by the hand, a small grin on her lips. Michiru constantly informed Haruka that she was a complete flirt. It wasn't uncommon for her to play a little game with people, much like she had with Michiru's parents: she'd pretend to be a boy to get girls hopeful about maybe having the chance to date her or court her, only to reveal that she was, in fact, a girl with a beautiful girlfriend already. Michiru had said she was quite the trickster, and even went along with some of Haruka's schemes for Haruka's sake. Naturally, she had already done this with Usagi and her friend Minako, the Soldier of Love, Sailor Venus, so she had no need to play this game with Usagi. Still, holding Usagi's hand in her own, it reminded her of the times she had flirted with little buns-head.

"Setsuna!" Haruka called out, "We've got an invalid here."

Setsuna, who had been deep in self-actualizing meditation in her study, or, judging by the blaring sounds of the TV, watching Pokemon, emerged with her ordinary calm expression, noting the presence of the newcomers for the first time. "Small Lady!" Setsuna lowered to a single knee for a moment in the presence of Chibiusa, then rose to her feet to approach the young girl.

"Plu, you don't need to bow every time you see me," Chibiusa said, a smile on her lips and blush in her soft cheeks.

"Waaaahhhhh…"

"Oh, Usagi," Setsuna stammered, noting the future Queen for what seemed like the first time, "Your injuries! Right this way, come with me to the bathroom." Setsuna took Chibiusa's future mother, now but a 16-year-old girl, by the arm as she guided her to the bathroom, where she kept much of her medical supplies. Haruka, however, glanced over at her daughter and her good friend.

The two of them were so happy together. Such a strong bond between them, a bond probably stronger than friendship. She wondered, for a moment, if living with Haruka really was good for Hotaru. She doubted her little girl even understood the concept of lesbianism, but even more so she wondered if Hotaru was even a lesbian at all. Was she learning by example, perhaps, and already letting small signs show of her true feelings? Maybe Haruka was just overanalyzing everything. Yeah, that was probably it. Hotaru was eight-years-old, and so was Chibiusa. It wasn't like they were about to tie the knot or anything like that.

But what would Haruka do if Hotaru really was a lesbian?

What would her parents say about Haruka and Michiru?

What would they say about Haruka losing her virginity?

What would they say about all the things she's done?

As the girls played, Haruka fingered through a photo album she had found deep in the storage closets of her house. She glanced at picture after picture of a little sandy haired girl, probably no more than three or four, playing with dolls, having tea parties for her stuff animals, buying her first pink bicycle with long streamers, dressed in a rather pretty kimono, a pretty white dress with frills, running her first track meet with pink sneakers, buying her first mountain bike, wearing dark jeans for the first time in her twelve years of life, smiling happily, unaware that she would grow up to be a girl who'd have sex with a blue haired girl.

She didn't learn she was a lesbian really until she met Michiru, but even then had no interest in boys. She hated how her parents had forced feminine crap down her throat, forced her to wear frilly bows and dresses and play with dolls. They only became a little lenient when she rationalized with them that track was to keep her in shape, that biking would help with track, and that driving a car at the age of 15 was a good idea for the sake of mobility. She hadn't seen her parents in months, and last time they had parted on good terms, although her father felt she didn't look feminine enough wearing a denim jacket with black jeans.

He'd prefer to see her in a skirt.

Haruka glanced at the phone at her side. She wondered just what they'd say. What would they say about Michiru? Was she going to be welcomed? Was she going to be damned? What would happen to Haruka? Would they even let her explain herself? How would they react if they found out about all the things she did with Michiru? What would her idiot father say? She thought her mother might accept her, but her father so wanted to make Haruka his "precious little angel." It was suffocating her. That's why she hadn't seen them in months! She was suffocated! Strangulated! And now here she was, returning to the chains of oppression.

She punched numbers into her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom? It's me, Haruka."

"Haruka! About time you called! It's been months since last time!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Things have just been so hectic lately."

"I can imagine. I heard about that last race you were in. We need to catch up on everything. When can you come down?"

"Well, it's funny you mentioned coming down, because I wanted to talk to you about something in person."

"Haruka, what's wrong? You sound really upset."

"I'm fine, it's nothing. I just need to talk to you about something is all."

"Okay, Haruka. I understand. When can you come down?"

"I think next week. Hey, mom, is dad going to be home next week? I mean, is he away on business?"

"No, he's not going anywhere for awhile. He's got such good hours, you know. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I'll, uh, I'll talk to you next Monday, is that okay?"

"Monday's fine."

"Thanks a lot, mom."

"Don't mention it, Princess."

Haruka didn't deserve to be called a Princess.

#

A smile spread across Hotaru's face as Haruka pulled the car into park. She had never been in Osaka before, and, although for Haruka this wasn't all that big of a deal, the sights and sounds were all new and fresh for the little Soldier of Destruction. She stared wide-eyed at people talking in a dialect she had never heard before. To say the least, she was in awe, even though, as Haruka noted, this city wasn't really all too different from the one they had just left behind.

Except, of course, for the inclusion of her parents.

"Haruka, are you alright?" Michiru asked, her hand on top of Hauka's as it rested on the steering wheel, her hands white and clammy.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," Haruka replied, opening the door as she got out, gesturing for the other three to do the same. Michiru gazed up at Haruka, nervously, before exiting the car, her eyes still on her sandy haired lover. Her Sea Goddess stood there before Haruka, dressed in a beautiful dress once again, maybe the same dress she had worn to see her own parents.

"It's just I'm worried about you, Haruka," Michiru replied.

"So am I," Setsuna said, "And your attire isn't easing any of my concerns."

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Haruka-papa, it's pink. And you're wearing a—a skirt."

This was very true. Blushing deep red, she glanced down at her pink cardigan, which she wore over a white blouse. She was also, as Hotaru observed, wearing the only skirt she had in her possession that fit her, a denim pair that went down to just above her knees. In the eyes of the others, it must look like she was a cross-dresser or something. She wore masculine attire so frequently that surely she looked like a guy dressing up like a girl for a change.

So embarrassing.

"Don't worry about that," Haruka replied.

"Haruka, you're starting to scare me a little," Michiru replied, "Put on pants, or a denim jacket, or at least take the pink off. Even when you're Uranus you don't wear pink."

Haruka sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Guys, just calm down about that. Don't worry. I know exactly what I am doing."

Haruka's house was nothing like Michiru's mansion. It wasn't huge, wasn't fancy, and certainly wasn't beautiful. It was just an ordinary house, not run down, but not stunning, either. There was nothing remarkable about it with its two levels, pointed roof, pale blue siding, and oak door. It was nothing remarkable at all, so why was Haruka trembling so?

Haruka nervously approached the door, and rang the bell, holding her arm anxiously, stroking her shoulder with her fingers gently, as she heard footsteps on the other side of the doorway. She waited, Michiru at her side, her daughter and Setsuna behind her, as her mother opened the door. Haruka's mom had long sandy hair that extended to her hips, a slender woman, almost frail. She pushed her wire framed glasses up her nose as she glanced at Haruka, a smile on her face. "Haruka!" her mother cheered, pulling Haruka into a warm, affectionate hug before releasing her, taking a look at the daughter she hadn't seen in so long.

"Yeah, I'm home," Haruka replied, nervously.

"You've cut your hair again," Mrs. Tenoh observed, running a hand through her daughter's hair, "Your dad always wanted you to grow your hair out, but I always thought you looked—"

"Haruka?"

Haruka glanced over her mother's shoulder to see another sandy haired girl slowly approach them. She too was wearing glasses, though these were thick framed and looked cute on her sweet face. She was wearing a beautiful little dress for the occasion, nothing spectacular, but humble enough to make her look quite beautiful. "Hey there, Fujiko."

Fujiko, her sister, approached Haruka with a small smile. "I haven't seen you in so long!" She dove toward her sister, planting her cheeks against her breasts, holding her close and tight. Haruka nervously patted her head, her brow sweaty.

"Oh, and you must be Haruka's friends, I take it?" Mrs. Tenoh asked the rest of the group, in a tone of minor confusion.

"Uh, sort of," Michiru replied for the group, smiling.

"Sort of?"

"Mom, can I talk with you in the other room with dad?" Haruka stammered. There was no point in dancing around the point any longer. She had to do this, had to go through the final threshold to her eventual fate. If she didn't get this stress off her chest now, she'd never go through with this. She'd never be able to confess to her parents, lay out the terms she wished to live her life, and would be afraid of her parents has her life went on and she fell in love with Michiru.

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Tenoh replied, nodding, "I'll just get—"

"Haruka?"

Haruka glanced up at the sound of her voice yet again. There, standing in the doorway to the living room, was her father, his masculine frame concealed in jeans and a t-shirt. He stared at his daughter, smiling brightly as he approached, puling her into a deep embrace, holding her tightly. Haruka, being the girl that she was, squeezed just as tightly and firmly. Her father's squeeze was clearly an affectionate one. Haruka just wanted to crush the guy in two.

"Haruka, my sweet little girl, you've grown," her father said, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, I guess," Haruka replied, missing his gaze.

"You've gained a lot of muscle. I saw one of your races recently on the TV. Those years of track really paid off."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Have you been keeping up with piano lessons, though?" her father asked.

"You play piano?" Hotaru asked, mildly surprised.

"Don't you remember that duet Ruka and I did a few weeks back?" Michiru asked, "Me on the violin and her on the piano?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," Hotaru stammered, nodding her head.

"Oh, who're you three?" Mr. Tenoh asked, curiously pointing at the three people behind Haruka.

"Dad, listen, can I talk with you guys for a moment alone? With Michiru?" Haruka asked, anxiously.

"What's wrong, angel?"

"Look, please, can I just talk to you guys in private? I'll explain then." Haruka gazed up at her father desperately. She needed to say this. She needed to get this damn cancer out of her before it swallowed her up in death and disease. "Please."

"Hey, look, Kyo, Haruka looks really upset," Mrs. Tenoh replied, anxiously.

"Yeah, I can see that," Haruka's father replied, anxiously, "Come into the parlor. Fujiko, you go in the kitchen and get our guests something to eat, alright?"

"I'll help you with that," Hotaru replied, smiling, "Haruka-papa, good luck."

Haruka wanted to strangle her daughter in that one instant. That one slip of the tongue, that one honorific added to her name: Haruka-papa. Why did she say that? Why had she said that one stupid little honorific? Why? She glanced up at her father, whose face had turned a shade of white. What was he thinking? Clearly the girl wasn't her own genetic daughter, so what could he be thinking?

"Come along, Hotaru," Setsuna replied, carting the little girl into the kitchen with Fujiko, who was just as confused looking as her father and mother were.

The four of them went into Haruka's parlor, which looked just as familiar as it ever had. The furniture was organized around the television, the decorations of angels still filled glass cabinets, and Haruka's trophies collected dust on a shelf. Haruka and Michiru sat on a sofa 90 degrees away from the sofa her parents sat at. The two groups stared at one another before Mrs. Tenoh finally asked, curiously, "That girl, Hotaru was it? Is she your daughter?"

Haruka considered the question. She ran her fingers between strands of hair before she said, anxiously, "Adopted."

"You adopted her?" Mrs. Tenoh asked, surprised, "Why did you do that?"

"She needed us," Haruka replied, "And I'm not raising her alone. Michiru and Setsuna are raising her with me. We're all her parents in a sense."

"How do you expect to raise a child at all? Do you have enough money?" her father asked, stunned that his daughter would help a girl in need like that.

"I'm actually a very successful musician," Michiru replied, humbly, "I've been in a bunch of concerts and everything. I have more than enough money to support Hotaru."

"What about raising her? What do you know about raising a child?" Mrs. Tenoh asked, stunned.

"I don't. I honestly don't know the first thing about raising a child," Haruka stammered, finding herself more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life. Why was she nervous? She had fought armies, slaughtered her own comrades, but never before had she trembled so violently. It was her parents, wasn't it? She was terrified of what they must be thinking of her right now, wasn't she? She was terrified they'd reject her, abandon her. Despite how she had avoided them, badmouthed them in her mind, the truth was that she loved them. She loved her family, she loved Fujiko, she loved them all. She didn't want to lose them over something like this! She couldn't lose them!

"Haruka, what's wrong?" Mrs. Tenoh stammered, in shock.

"What?"

"You're crying," Michiru replied, brushing aside the tear on her cheek with her thumb, "You never cry, Haruka."

"She's a girl. She can cry if she wants to," Mr. Tenoh retorted, "Who're you to say my daughter can or can't cry?"

"I'm—"

Haruka silenced her with a gesture of her hand. "Michiru, let me handle this. Please, let me handle this."

"Okay, Haruka," Michiru replied, gently.

Her father sighed, shaking her head. "Haruka, what you did is extremely stupid. You should let a young couple raise the girl, someone who can't have a child. You know that, Haruka. Look, Princess, you're going to get rid of this girl, give her to a family that can truly love her, and—"

"I can't do that, dad," Haruka replied, frowning, "I just can't do that."

"Why's that?" Mr. Tenoh asked, skeptically.

"Because I love her. I love my daughter, and there's nothing anyone can say that can make me abandon her. She's just, well, I've never felt more connected to a kid before. I haven't. I mean, I've done stupid things before, but there's nothing stupid about adopting Hotaru. It's one of the best things I've ever done. I'm happier, and Michiru's happier, and Setsuna is like a new person. I know I'm going to make a few mistakes, but I'll learn. Michiru makes more than enough money to raise all four of us with lots of money to spare. I mean, we've made a couple mistakes, like not locking the bedroom door, and—" It was only then that Haruka realized what she had just said. She froze on the spot, her eyes wide, her mouth agape as she realized just what she had just said, her knees trembling as actualization dawned upon her. She gripped her hair, tugging at it roughly, as she snapped, "Stupid!"

"Why would you need to worry about locking the bedroom door, Haruka?" her father asked, confused, "I don't under—" And then it dawned upon him. He stared at his daughter, a bewildered expression in his eyes.

"Haruka, have you been, have you had been involved in a relationship?" Mrs. Tenoh asked, in a stunned whisper.

Haruka nodded.

"Was it a physically intimate relationship?"

Haruka nodded.

"In this relationship, did you have sex?"

Haruka nodded.

Her father ran a hand through his hair, unable to look at his daughter. She squeezed her hair tighter. Her father could see her now for the whore that she was. She had only had sex with Michiru! She wasn't a whore. And yet, in her heart, she kept calling herself by that name. A whore. A whore. A whore. That's what she was in her father's eyes. Someone who was easy. Deflowered. Impure. Filthy.

A whore.

"Who was it?"

"Who was what?"

"Who did you have sex with?"

"Why do you want to know anyway?"

"I want to know whose neck I need to snap."

"Alright, I confess. She had sex with me." Michiru placed a hand on her chest, her eyes determined and clear, staring straight at Mr. Tenoh. "Snap my neck so long as you don't hurt my Haruka."

"Wait, you?" her father stammered, staring at Michiru in disbelief.

"That's why I came here," Haruka whispered, her gaze averted, her fingers clenched, "I found out that I'm—I'm a lesbian."

For a moment, no one spoke. No one moved. No one even drew breath. Haruka knew she was finished. Her parents would pass judgment on her, bash her, to damn her to hell. It was over. It was all over. Her parents were going to kill her. Her father wasn't speaking. Her loving father, the man she had resented so much yet loved so deeply, was going to kill her. She was going to just wilt and die right here and now.

"This is too much right now," her father muttered, rising to her feet, "I need to clear my head. I'm going for a ride. I'll be back later. Haruka, I just thought you'd be—oh forget it." With that, her father left the room, leaving Haruka and Michiru alone with the silent Mrs. Tenoh. For a moment, all was quite.

Then Haruka's mother broke the silence. "You had sex?"

"Yes," Haruka said.

"Why?"

"It just felt natural," Haruka replied.

"It's a beautiful thing, the union of two bodies," Michiru replied.

"I know, I know," Mrs. Tenoh said, anxiously, "But why did you do it? You're just kids! You aren't supposed to do stuff like until you're adults! You aren't even 18, Haruka! You're still too young to be having sex!"

"I know! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I was so worried what you'd think after I did it. I couldn't bare to think you'd reject me, or hate me, for following my heart."

"Your heart?" her mother snapped, the disapproval in her eyes tangible, "You didn't follow your heart. You followed lust. If you did this with another man, you'd be pregnant, and then you'd really be in trouble!"

"Mom—"

"And that's another thing!" Mrs. Tenoh stammered, "This romance thing between you and Michiru? You aren't in love. This is just a phase, yes. That's all it is. You'll grow out of it, and when you do, your family will break apart. Once that happens, Hotaru will have no one!"

"It's not going to fall apart, mom! I love Michiru more than you could possibly imagine."

"Mrs. Tenoh, I'm not going to leave Haruka anytime soon," Michiru replied, "I love her with all my heart, and never once in the year I've known her have we even considered having an argument. I mean, even when Haruka flirts with other—"

"You've been flirting?" her mother snapped, in disapproval.

"It's not like that! I pretend I'm a guy, and—"

"Do I even know you? Who are you? You aren't my Haruka at all, are you?" Mrs. Tenoh cried, holding her face in her hands, "What did I do wrong, anyway?"

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

For the first time in perhaps a year, maybe longer, Haruka Tenoh cried.

#

Originally I had planned on this being a two-shot. However, there's too much ground to stop with just two chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3 – The Query; A Second Couple; Re: Kaioh Family**

"Haruka-papa, what does the word dyke mean?"

Haruka glanced over at young Hotaru as she cringed at the sound of that word. She was surprised her mother hadn't called her that yesterday. As she rubbed her eyes, roughly, she asked, in a rather harsh tone, "Where the hell did you hear that word anyway, Hotaru? Why are you asking me?"

Hotaru calculated her response, considering the best way to reply to her father. She scratched her chin, anxiously, before finally speaking. "Some kids at school said it. They said that you looked like a dyke."

"They what?" So even the children called her a dyke? When the hell had they even see her? How did a bunch of little kids even know what a dyke was, anyway? They were just like her damn parents, judging her before she they even understood the situation. She shook her head, running a hand through her hair, tugging on the individual strands as she glanced back up at her daughter. "How do they even know who we are, anyway?"

"They saw you before during the parent-teacher conferences, and a couple other parents asked 'What a waste of beauty. That beautiful girl is going out with that dyke.' I didn't know what a dyke was, so I came to you to ask. Plus, if I was being made fun of, I wouldn't want to hide it, you know?"

Haruka nodded, shaking her head in acceptance. "Damn. Well, I didn't want to have to talk to you about this. Damn. Well, a dyke, Hotaru, is a really rude way of referring to a girl who likes other girls. I don't mean as a friend, Hotaru, I mean like a lover."

"I'm not sure I understand," Hotaru said, cocking her head, "But you live with Setsuna and Michiru, so you guys aren't all in love with one another. I mean, you're just together because you're all Senshi, so you can't just be in love! Those kids are so stupid sometimes, you know? I mean, you only—only—only were kissing Michiru-mama. Wait, you really are a dyke, aren't you?"

"I don't like being called a dyke."

Hotaru's face filled with blush. She glanced down at her feet, holding her hands in one another. Haruka knew her humiliation knew no bounds, but she had to learn. She had to understand the truth. She needed to just comprehend the nature of the world around her. Most of all, she needed to accept Haruka for who she was, while she was young and impressionable, before she could grow up to reject her own daughter.

No, it wasn't that she was a lesbian. It was that she had had sex. It was that she had lost her virginity to another girl. It was that she was no longer pure. She was filthy, rotten. Imagine if she had told her mother that she had killed people, her friends, her enemies, without a second thought, in cold blood, mercilessly. She was the worst, the bottom of the barrel. She was just a wicked little freak of nature that didn't deserve to be loved at all, let alone praised, for her actions as a warrior. She was amazed how often Usagi and the others would just stare at her in awe, stare at her with respect, stare at her with love.

"I'm sorry," Hotaru replied, blushing a deeper shade of red, "I just—what's a good word to use then?"

"Lesbian."

"Okay, I didn't realize you were a lesbian," Hotaru stammered, "But, Haruka-papa?"

"Yeah?"

"Is being a lesbian contagious?"

Haruka chuckled slightly. Ruffling her daughter's hair, she replied, "No, you're born that way."

"So if I were a lesbian, I'd know already?" Hotaru asked.

"Yeah, basically," Haruka replied, "Why do you—? Wait, you aren't in love with Chibiusa, are you?"

Hotaru blushed even deeper. "I just think she's cute is all. She's like a cherub. Sometimes I even like poking her in the belly and arms. A few times I just hold hands with her. Does that make me a lesbian?"

Haruka sighed, weighing her options. She felt an urge to say yes, but she then acknowledged that many girls in Japan experienced things of this nature. It was a rather curious phenomenon, with young schoolgirls. Quite frequently, these schoolgirls crushes developed into beautiful romantic relationships. It always warmed Haruka's heart to see a duo of girls their age holding hands, staring romantically into each other's eyes, before locking lips as they held hands.

"That depends. Are you sure you really love her?"

Hotaru held her hands anxiously as she opened her mouth to speak. However, the moment she began to make a sound, the phone rang. Hotaru glanced down at her feet before mumbling, "Never mind."

"I'll be right back," Haruka replied, patting Hotaru on the head. Michiru was currently rehearsing in her soundproof recording room, so she wasn't going to be answering the phone anytime soon. Setsuna, on the other hand, was in deep undisturbed meditation in her study, or, judging by the overwhelmingly loud television, watching her melodramatic soap operas while sobbing gently. That left Haruka with the responsibility of answering that damn ringing phone!

"Hello?" Haruka asked, irately as she picked up the phone.

"Uh, hey, is this Haruka?"

"Yeah, who is this?" Haruka asked, aware of just how familiar this voice sounded, a voice she heard constantly.

"It's me, Makoto."

"Oh! Mako-chan!" Haruka laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Of course that voice was familiar. Sailor Jupiter, the Guardian of Thunder, a woman that she had associated with several times over the course of the previous year. A comrade, friend, and enemy. It was funny how relationships worked out. Haruka remembered one incident where Makoto following her like a love struck school girl, despite knowing that she was a girl herself, only, as Sailor Jupiter, to engage in combat against Uranus.

"Uh, Haruka, I don't know who else to ask, but I just felt you'd be a more experienced person in this sort of subject. I, uh, don't know who else to talk to. If I talk to Usagi, she'll understand but she won't be able to give me any good advice. If I talk to Rei, she'll just laugh and think I'm being foolish. If I talk to Minako, she'll just take charge of what's happening and just ruin everything. And if I talk to Ami—well, I just need to talk—"

"Calm yourself," Haruka said, soothingly.

"Right, right. Thanks."

"Just tell me slowly, Mako-chan: what's going on?"

"Well, uh, I think I'm—I feel so stupid saying this—in love."

"With your ex-boyfriend from middle school still?" Haruka asked, "I mean, you've compared every guy you've met to that idiot, so it's about time you let him—"

"That's not what's going on."

"Oh, yeah. I guess that makes sense. Why would you need to talk to me about it if—oh, I get it." Haruka grinned in amusement as she finally came to an epiphany. It was so obvious now that she thought about it. How could she have overlooked the obvious? "So how long have you known, Mako-chan?"

"I don't know. I guess I must've been giving off signs for awhile now, but I never got it because I was just so stubborn in looking for the senior who rejected me in every guy I liked. It's just, I don't believe this."

"Well, who do you think it is?"

Haruka chuckled. "You know, I guess I can I can relate with you when it comes to the same-sex: blue haired girls are awfully cute."

"Uh, Haruka, I—uh—I—uh—"

"So tell me this: do you know if Ami is into you?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," Matoko replied on the other end of the line, "I mean, I know she likes boys, so I don't think it's even worth a shot. She turned red when that one guy sent her a love letter, and there was that one psychic boy a couple years back. I mean, I don't think she'd even be able to look at me the same way if I—"

"Ami may be stubborn when it comes to her studying habits, but she does have a liberal view of society. I'm sure she won't judge you if you were a lesbian."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"I know."

"I mean, what if she ignores me and feels uncomfortable around me because she's afraid of leading me on, or feels uncomfortable that I like her. And what if we break up? That'll ruin our friendship, and—"

"Look, I know it's hard. I mean, I think you should really try to confess your feelings after you think Ami might return your feelings. I know that a lot of girls used to flirt with me even after they found out I was a girl. I mean, you were one of them."

"Yeah, I know."

"Why would you be worrying? I mean, it's clear you like her. Even I could tell after you told me."

"Well, of course you'd know after I tell you," Makoto replied, in mild disbelief, "But you need to help me."

"What do you mean?"

"I need to spend one-on-one time with her, and I need you guys to be there."

"Wait, one-on-one time while we're hanging out with you? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Haruka asked, confused.

"You get the point!" snapped Makoto, "I mean, really, I'm just in need for some help here, you know?"

"I understand. Don't worry about that. I know what you want. Listen, maybe we can arrange something together. Let's see. I don't think we're busy tomorrow night. You want to do something then?"

"What if Ami is busy tomorrow?" asked Makoto.

"Then you get over here so we can discuss this in more—"

"Haruka?"

Haruka glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her name. There, Michiru stood, a curious expression in her eyes, a glint of melancholy in her expression. The familiar bruise on the side of her blue haired lover's neck, a bruise that so tempted Haruka to simply reach out to massage the aches and pains out of that poor, slender neck. She reached out, caressing her lover's bare arm with her own gentle palm. "Listen, Makoto, I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Haruka hung the phone up in its hanger, a small smile on her lips.

"Are you feeling better, Haruka?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe what Mako-chan just told me."

"I can take a guess. I kind of walked downstairs as you mentioned Ami, and then I heard you mention lesbians." The term lesbians made Haruka cringe, but she wasn't entirely sure why. She wasn't ashamed of who she was. It just reminded her of the day before, the disaster with her parents. It wasn't that she was a lesbian; it was that she was a whore. She found she needed to remind herself of that constantly. "Something wrong?" Michiru continued, taking a closer look into her lover's eyes.

"Oh, nothing at all."

"Hey, Haruka, the reason I stopped playing is because I received a rather interesting e-mail from my parents," Michiru said, shifting her weight, "I—"

"Wait a second! You have a computer up that sound room?" Haruka asked, stunned.

"Of course! It's where I watch illegally downloaded pornography."

"Ah, I see, so the sound proof room for practicing your violin is just a cover for watching porn?"

"Oh, yes, of course," replied Michiru, with a rather serious nod but a loving grin on her lips.

"I guess I can't trust you for a second along, can I?" Haruka asked, running her fingers through Michiru's aquatic tresses, a look of admiration in her eyes, the two of them locked together in that moment like the sky locked with the sea, the horizon at the farthest ends of vision. As they locked lips, filling each others mouths with fiery passion, Haruka forgot about her parents, forgot about Makoto's problems, and only remembered the passion she felt envelop her at this moment. After a few minutes of love, the two parted, staring at one another with their eyes filled with admiration toward one another, before Haruka, finally, said in a gentle whisper, "You said you had an e-mail?"

"Yeah, that's right," Michiru replied, stroking Haruka's lips with her index finger, "From my parents."

"Oh? What did they say?" Haruka asked as she was tugged down to reality. Parents. Even though Michiru's parents agreed with their lifestyle choice, it didn't change the fact that even hearing about the man and woman who gave birth to her lover reminded Haruka of the man and woman who had given the Guardian of Uranus new life.

"Well, after they met, they did a lot of thinking. They want to see what our house is like. They want to get to know you better. Most of all, though, they wanted—wanted to meet your parents."

Haruka remembered the face of her father, running away from the revelation that his daughter was impure. She remembered her mother, almost in tears at the thought that his daughter was a whore making love with another woman. Michiru's parents meeting her own father and mother? What would they say? Surely they'd try to rid their daughter of Michiru, of the chance to indulge in her lust. They'd want to change Haruka. There was a reason why she hadn't seen her parents for that long: she wanted to avoid them. She had ruined her relationship with her parents the moment she first started following her heart.

But she wanted to marry Michiru one day. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with that blue haired woman. There was no point trying to run away any longer. Worst case scenario, they'd just elope. Well, actually they couldn't legally marry each other, but they'd go through the motions of marriage. A legal bonding of sorts, if even that. It was interchangeable with the term marriage, after all.

"I don't know how thrilled my parents will be to come here after yesterday," Haruka replied, frowning, "They'll probably tell your parents that you're a slut, or perhaps that I'm a slut and I was using you, or—"

"Don't worry about that," Michiru replied, a pouty frown on her lips, "Besides, they agreed."

"Wait, they what?" Haruka glanced at Michiru, a look of confusion upon her face. Agreed? How could they possibly agree to anything? Haruka hadn't even told them about this, let alone didn't even know about the matter before a few minutes ago. "They didn't e-mail my parents first, did they? How did they even get my parent's e-mail, anyway?!"

"They did a bit of research. They are rich, mind you. In fact, they had intended on meeting your parents the moment we first met with them. So I'm not too surprised."

"Okay, okay, I guess we should just do this. Maybe I'll settle all our problems. I hope."

"That's the spirit!"

Haruka chuckled to herself. Slowly, she said, glancing at Michiru through the bangs of her sandy hair, "So when're they coming?"

"Tomorrow night."

Haruka shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, that just figures, doesn't it? Tomorrow night. Oh Jesus, that's the same night I told Matoko to bring Ami over."

"Then call her back and tell her to change the date," Michiru said, simply.

"Alright," Haruka replied, picking up the receiver of the phone. She paused for a moment or two at the phone before she realized, in one sudden burst of anxiety, "I don't know Mako's number!"

"She just called, right? It should be in our phone's databanks, right?"

"Ah, good thinking!" Haruka spent a few minutes fidgeting with the phone system, pushing buttons almost at random, before finally she found the proper number. With a grin, she dialed the number, only to wait several minutes as that irritating monotone ringing sound filled her ear. After five minutes, she hung up the phone. "No answering machine, no response, that just sucks!"

"Call back in an hour or so," Michiru replied.

"Alright, no problem," sighed Haruka, running her fingers through her strands of hair, "What if we don't get in contact with her?"

Michiru sighed, folding her arms over her breasts. "Guess we'll just have to have them here too."

"That's great. The arguing will sure as hell discourage Mako-chan from wanting to get a girlfriend. I know Mako doesn't have parents anymore, but Ami does. Just seeing my parents go nuts, she probably won't be too eager asking out Ami, especially in front of them, you know?"

"Well, reality is hard, but it's something she'll need to understand before getting involved in all this. It's sad, but true. The facts of life are that things often don't end up rosy. Still, the things worth fighting for are usually the sweetest of them all."

"Coming from you, that makes me hungry, but my stomach doesn't want any food," Haruka replied, caressing Michiru's face with her tentative, trembling fingers.

"You're such a flirt, Haruka," Michiru giggled. Haruka suppressed the images of her parents damning her for making love with this girl, of them insulting and harassing her. She just wanted to crawl up and burn the more she thought about it, but, as she considered things, she was almost an adult. As much of a sin it was to indulge in her lust since the age of 16, wasn't it a bigger sin to hold her down like this? It was like chaining down the butterfly as it escapes from the cocoon.

Or maybe she was just rationalizing her own transgressions.

It was then that the phone began to ring. Figuring it was Mako-chan, Haruka picked the phone up from the machine. "Hello?" Haruka asked, nonchalantly.

"Haruka?" The voice was alien to her. Vaguely familiar, but only ever so vaguely.

"Uh, speaking?"

"I don't suppose you remember who I am, Haruka, but this is Elza Gray."

"Elza?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4 - Reunion and Assembly **

Elza Gray.

When Haruka was a younger girl, a year younger to be specific, she had known a youth by that name, for it was around that time Elza introduced the sandy-haired track star to the girl who would later be the blue haired beauty she had shared her body and soul with: Michiru Kaioh. Elza has been Haruka's rival, had been Haruka's friend, and, above all, had all but vanished from Haruka's life following her graduating her middle school in favor of Mugen Academy. So why, Haruka asked herself, did her old friend call her back now? Her voice, usually calm and relaxed, sounded a tad anxious, a tad hurried, a tad, for all intents and purposes, frantic. "Haruka? Are you there?"

Glancing over at Michiru, silently, before turning her attention to the phone, Haruka nodded, vaguely aware that her nodding was entirely pointless since clearly phones could not transfer visual information like the movements of her head. "Yeah, I'm here. It's been awhile."

"Too long. Listen, I need your help."

"Help?" As though Haruka's life wasn't convoluted enough as it was. What could she possibly need Haruka for? What sort of ridiculous situation could be piled up on top of her shoulders now? What sort of irritating, annoying circumstance could be forced upon her now, on top of everything else that had plagued her? Haruka felt a tad bitter toward Elza, she noticed. It was partially that girl's fault Haruka had given up her body, albeit willingly and gladly, but she had gratitude to Elza for introducing her to a girl she'd be willing to spend an eternitiy with. Still, she felt a bit bitter toward Elza as she awaited the girl's response.

"Listen, I have to have a rematch against you," Elza said.

"A what?"

"A rematch. A race. You know."

"Oh, is that all?" Haruka laughed, nonchalantly, scratching the back of her head. A race? Now that was something she could get into, something she could be excited about. And here the soldier of the air had expected some sort of horrible circumstance she would have to deal with. Here Haruka expected something horrible and dreadful. But no, just a little race? A little competition? Nothing serious, if anything something to look forward to. With a small grin on her lips, Haruka asked, "When?"

"A few days from now should be fine," Elza said, smirking, "Hope you can handle it."

"All I need to know is where we need to run and how far."

"Let's run a 5K. There's a path by my current high school, I'll give you directions later, that's a 5K loop. Think you can handle it, Haruka?"

"Oh, you're on, Elza! I'll get back to you, though, I've been having some problems lately."

"Problems? Not with Michiru, I hope."

Haruka laughed, nervously. Oh, the problems were with Michiru, alright. Or perhaps about Michiru would be a fairer way to word that statement. Oh, how she longed to just hold the azure haired beauty in her arms right now, and was tempted to, with Michiru standing only a few feet behind her. But she couldn't; not with this phone in her hands, anyway. "Oh, not at all. Just with my parents. I'll talk to you later, Elza. I have other business to attend to right now."

#

Despite the numerous times Haruka tried to reschedule with Mako-chan, never once did Haruka manage to speak to the brunette. Not once, not even for a moment. Only rings and busy signals greeted Haruka's ears. On Michiru's suggestions, or perhaps orders was a more accurate word, the sandy haired lesbian had called every hour on the hour, but to no avail. Even worse was when she called Ami's house. The phone line was always busy. Haruka assumed this had something to do with Ami's mother being a doctor, and perhaps several calls were sent to her house, but it seemed impossible to just find a moment where the line was free to tell Ami to tell Mako-chan that they'd need to rearrange the schedual a little bit

Alas, in the end, the appointed time arrived.

At five o'clock the night following the phone call, both Mako-chan and Ami arrived on Haruka's doorstep. Mako-chan was a tall girl, muscular and for all intents and purposes big. By big, Haruka didn't mean stocky or anything, but she was built, much like Haruka was. Her long mane of brown hair, pulled into a thick ponytail, quivered along with the rest of her body. Ami, Sailor Mercury, the guardian of water, however, perhaps unaware of Mako-chan's unease, seemed perfectly comfortable, if not slightly timid as she usually was, as she relinquished her shoes after passing the threshold into Haruka's house. Ami bowed slightly, respectfully, with a pleasant smile on her lips. "I hope we aren't intruding," Ami replied.

"Well, don't worry," Haruka said, forcing herself to hold in the response "Yeah, you are intruding. Sorry to waste your time, but you need to get the hell out of my house." Naturally, Haruka never uttered any of those words.

Ami, however, seemed to notice something about the way Haruka emoted, perhaps in her effort to restrain the words she longed to say. "Oh, you do have plans, don't you?"

"Well, don't worry about it. It's just that our parents are--"

"Oh, you mean those people?" Mako-chan asked, gesturing toward the car that had just pulled up onto Haruka's driveway. Haruka would've liked to respond, but unfortunately she had lost the ability to vocalize the exact words floating to the forefront of her mind due to her throat suddenly drying up, her tongue feeling loose and rather sandy, her jaw clenched and tense, beyond her control, beyond her ability to move the jaw up and down in order to allow words to bubble to reality.

She was grateful the car belonged to Michiru's parents, and not her own.

"Who're these two?" Mrs. Kaioh asked, as she arrived at the door, her husband glancing suspiciously at Haruka, then at Mako-chan, but surprisingly gave no such critical glance at the much smaller Ami, her soft face in stark contrast with Mako-chan and Haruka's rough, slightly intimidating appearances.

"They're friends, mom," Michiru said, emerging being Haruka as though on cue. She was dragging a brush through her long blue tresses, smoothing out her lovely tsunami of hair, her face sparkling as she smiled with those beautiful teeth of hers, an angel if Haruka ever saw one. She wanted to hold Michiru's hand right then and there, hold her against her breasts and never let her go, but if she did that no doubt her father would ignore the fact that she was a girl and just bop her over the head with the nearest blunt object he could find for touching his beloved daughter.

"It would appear we had a slight problem with lining up our schedules," giggled Ami, nervously, "But don't worry. We can leave if you like."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Mrs. Kaioh replied, "Stay! The more the merrier I like to say."

"But--"

"It's perfectly alright," Mr. Kaioh said, smiling down at Ami, then at Michiru, "You don't need to leave on our account. Are you more friends of Michiru and that girl?"

"I really have been demoted to 'that girl', huh?" Haruka groaned, planting her palm on her face as she shook her head.

"Well, yeah, we are," Mako-chan replied, in a friendly, cheerful voice. Mr. Kaioh looked at her now with a slightly more assured and relaxed tone. Her voice was girly and sweet, despite the formidable build of her body suggesting she had a deeper pitched voice, much like Haruka. "My name is Makoto, but everyone calls me Mako-chan."

"My name is Ami," Ami said, introducing herself.

"We're Michiru's--"

"Oh, I know," laughed Ami, "We could tell that much."

"Do you guys want to come in or what?" Haruka said, "We could have the dinner outside, but it's too damn cold for my tastes."

On that note, the group entered Haruka and Michiru's home, at which point Setsuna and Hotaru entered. Setsuna smiled and bowed when the Kaioh's arrived, but her eyes widened when she saw Ami and Mako-chan enter, especially Mako-chan's anxious glances at Ami, whom Haruka knew was completely oblivious as to the reason why Mako-chan really asked her to join her at Haruka's that night. Had Haruka forgotten to inform Setsuna on that fact as well, judging by the rather confused, if not downright startled, expression she wore on her face? Possibly--no, definitely.

Hotaru, however, dove for Ami, pulling the girl into her arms with a jubilant smile upon her lips. The young brainy girl almost toppled over, but was thankfully caught by Mako-chan and her strong arms, which held her for a couple seconds too long as Ami laughed in spite of herself. "Thank you. Almost fell there," Ami giggled as the Guardian of Thunder helped her back to her feet, the large girl's hands lingering a little too long on the smaller girl's shoulders, her fingers caressing her arm slightly as she relinquished grip on her.

Haruka smiled, slightly.

That smile was wiped away when she heard the sound of tires running up the driveway, her eyes widening as her pulse quickened. Words began to surge in her brain as she lowered her head. Words like lesbian, words like dyke, words like slut, words like deflowered, words like whore. Her hair obscured her eyes as she glanced over at Michiru, her face shadowed by her bangs, as she asked, in a rather un-Haruka-like tone, "Can you please get that, Michiru?"

"Okay," Michiru replied, understanding Haruka's morose request at once. The blue haired girl approached the door, and opened it, allowing a trio of people entry to their house. Haruka's blue haired goddess stood awkwardly there, fidgeting with her hands ever so slightly, too graceful and elegant to look truly disturbed, but too anxious to look completely normal. "Hello there, Mr and Mrs Tenoh, and Fujiko. I take it the ride here wasn't--"

"Hello!" Fujiko cheered as Haruka turned around. It took a few seconds for Haruka to realize that her parents, who had been so anxious and upset before, seemed more relaxed, as though they had, and God she was hopeful this was the case, come to terms with the shock they had experienced before. It was impossible for this to be easy, but may be they had perhaps calmed down some, and were able to listen to Haruka's points.

Maybe.

"Hello there," Mrs. Kaioh said, bowing before the sandy haired lesbian's parents, "I'm Yumi, we spoke over e-mail."

"Yes, pleased to meet you," Mrs. Tenoh replied, smiling just as much as her counterpart, "I guess our daughters dropped that bombshell on you too?"

"That's one way of putting it," Mr. Kaioh replied, frowning slightly, "At least your daughter can't make my angel pregnant."

"Yusuke," Yumi murmered, tightening her grip on her husband's sleeve, glancing over at him with a rather threatening look that clearly said "If you want to eat dinner in the next month, you better not do anything to screw up this dinner." Yusuke responded to this death glare with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his scalp, and a stuttered addition to his previous statement that clearly assured the Tenohs he meant no disrespect toward his daughter, and that she was a rather beautiful angel herself.

"Well, she was always our little angel," Mrs. Tenoh replied, glancing over at Haruka. She held her head in shame. Was? Was her angel? Why wasn't she still? Oh, yeah, because her flowers had bloomed, the petals stripped, the nectar sucked straight out of her insides.

"Well, there's no use standing out in the parlor, is there?" Mr. Tenoh finally said, speaking for the first time, "Haruka, where can I put my jacket?"

"Oh, I'll take care of that," Setsuna replied, walking forward.

"Oh, tha--wait, who're you two?" Mr. Tenoh asked, gesturing toward both Ami and Mako-chan.

"Friends," Ami replied, "I'm Ami Mizuno, and that's Makoto--oh, I'm sorry Mako-chan, I just blanked out when I tried to remember your last name." As Ami giggled innocently behind the knuckles she had placed against her lips, Mako-chan blushed slightly, her knuckles wriggling and twisting by her thighs. Haruka's father glanced over at his daughter, and looked like she was about to ask if the two of them were also lesbians, at which Haruka shrugged, feeling slightly more at ease now that her father had acknowledged her like he had.

#

"Doesn't the whole adoption thing bother you?" Mrs. Tenoh asked before nibbling on her food, a curious expression on her face.

They were at the dinner table, a circular structure with seats for everyone. From a counter-clockwise perspective overhead, one would've spotted Ami sitting by Mako-chan, then Mr and Mrs Tenoh with their two daughters, only for Setsuna and Hotaru to fill in the spot between the Kaioh's. Haruka longed to be sitting by her beloved Michiru, but, for whatever reason, both of their parents insisted they sat with them. At least Haruka could see her aqua-haired goddess in front of her as she ate the meal the entire family had slaved over to make. Haruka was biting into the rice she had prepared, as all four of them had insisted that was the only thing Haruka could prepare and not ruin.

"Not specifically," Mr. Kaioh replied, "To be perfectly honest, it was when your daughter came into my house wearing a tuxedo that I got nervous."

"A tuxedo?" Mr. Tenoh sighed, planting his palm over his forehead as she shook his head, sighing heavily.

"It was a joke," Haruka replied, desperate to explain herself.

"It worked, too," Mrs. Kaioh replied, "I felt it was funny."

"It gave me a freakin' heart attack. I thought you had impregnated my daughter," Mr. Kaioh replied, his voice heavy.

"But getting back to the whole daughter thing, do you really think these two girls can have the responsibility to raise a daughter?" Mr. Tenoh asked, desperate for someone other than his wife to see his way.

"Three, actually," Setsuna replied.

"Okay, I apologize, three girls?"

"I'm also older than both of your daughters," Setsuna replied, folding her hands on her lap.

"How much older? You don't look a day over twenty," Mrs. Tenoh queried.

Setsuna, who had lived for the past several millenia as the Guardian of time itself, replied, smiling a secretive smile, "I age really well."

"Good for you, then," Mrs. Kaioh replied, "I woke up this morning and found a gray hair, and felt fifty years old all of a sudden."

"But you look just as old as your daughter," Mrs. Tenoh laughed, "Not a day over--"

"She ages well," Mr. Kaioh replied, smiling slightly as his hand interlocked with his wife's own fingers.

"Just for that complement, I suppose I'll make you dinner tomorrow night," Mrs. Kaioh replied, smiling mischeviously.

"But what about money?" Mr. Tenoh added, breaking up the slightly romantic moment between Michiru's parents, "I mean, I don't know if Haruka has a job, though she does make some money from race prizes to get by for a little while."

"Our Michiru's a violinist, and a very good one at that," replied Mrs. Kaioh, "She makes plenty of money in concerts. She was even in a concert with that boy band that was really popular a little while back, you know, the Three Lights?"

Haruka clenched her fists, tightly, as she remembered that band's lead singer, that pompous bastard Seiya. Damn Seiya, what she'd do right now if she could find him, for flirting wiht Michiru. Oh, when she had beaten him up that one time, it had been so satisfying. If only Usagi hadn't stood in the way of her assault, she would've ensured several times in the past that Seiya, that pretty boy, wouldn't have stood around her Michiru as frequently as he did.

"Something wrong, Haruka?" Mr. Tenoh asked.

"Nothing, I just, well--"

Michiru just giggled at this. "She was jealous of Seiya, you know, the singer of the Three Lights? He flirted with me a little, and Haruka got all upset over it. She looked like some knight in shinning armor trying to save me from Seiya. It was very cute, you know, Ruka."

"You don't need to just broadcast that to the world, you know," Haruka whispered, harshly, only for her azure haired goddess to giggle once more. She couldn't get mad at such a beautiful girl.

"You know, Haruka," Mr. Tenoh replied, slowly and carefully choosing his words, "You do seem to love Michiru, don't you?"

Haruka glanced up at this, curious. What was her father saying? Was he about to apologize? About to accept Haruka's life choices? The young lesbian held her breath, her eyes widened as she heard herself say, very slowly, calculating the precise words to say in the precise manor, "Of course."

Her father lowered her head, frowning slightly. "I see. I suppose nothing I say can convince you to change this sort of lifestyle choice?"

"Nothing."

"I see." There was a moment of silence. Haruka glanced to her father, his expression unreadable. Was he relieved? Angry? Sad? There was no way of truly determining this. Michiru glanced over at him too, clearly unable to either sigh in relief or brace for a new assault of yelling and stress. Finally, after an eternity of silence, thick fungus infected silence, Mr Tenoh spoke. "Well, look, Haruka, Princess, I just don't know if I agree with all the choices you've made. I feel you're making a mistake."

"Now, hold on here," Mrs. Kaioh said, frowning, "I'm not going to go out and say that I'm not a little worried about this whole ordeal either, but let's face facts here: the simple fact of the matter is that we can't determine whether our kids are making a mistake by following their hearts. Worst case scenario the whole thing blows up in their faces and they learn from their problems, leaving as stronger people regardless. The fact is that we aren't the sort of people who can say this was a mistake now or that was a mistake then. If you're right, and this whole thing is a big stupid mistake, then, well, in a few years time your daughter will acknowledge her stupidity and just go back to living her life as a little princess. But if she's right, and she truly loves Michiru as I think she does, then, well, that's all well and good for her, and I have no objections whatsoever. Nor should you, for that matter."

"I understand, but are you entirely aware of the full situation our girls are in?" Mr. Tenoh asked.

"I can imagine," Mr. Kaioh replied, "Judging by the way your daughter acted around us, I figure she has a slight tendency to be, let's say, a little open about her sexuality."

"What do you mean by that?" Mrs. Tenoh asked, her mouth thin. Haruka ran a hand through her hair. She had braved armies, braved the forces of evil that knew no bounds, and yet four adults frightened her more than any of that. Damn her weakness. She needed to deviate the conversation away from this. But how?

"You know, I don't mean to interrupt or anything," Ami said, smiling cheerfully, "But from what I read, statistically girls are more sexual creatures than males are, but even so, society prevents us from exploring our own sexual identities more than what people claim we should. What I'm trying to say is that the fact that Haruka would explore her own sexual identity in the way that she has actually frees her from the chains of establishment, so to speak. It's probably easier on her psychological stability that way, and she won't have to worry about, well, stress related to a suppressed sexual identity, and, um, why are you all looking at me like that?"

The entire table had turned to look at her, a curious expression on all of their faces. Ami withdrew, slightly, holding herself awkwardly as she glanced down at her thighs. She lowered her hand on her smooth skin, bouncing her fist off of her soft flesh nervously as she glanced up at the people around her, only to shrink away a moment later. Mako-chan, however, seemed to struggle with herself not to confess the words she had been longing to say, to say that she loved her. Haruka could tell this, as could everyone else at the table, but no one wanted to say anything on that matter.

Rather, they directed their attention toward Haruka and Michiru.

"So what did you mean when you said that my daughter was open about her sexuality?" Mr. Tenoh asked, his voice holding a hint of accusation.

"Well, when she came in her tuxedo to my house, I thought that they had come because your daughter, who I thought was a man at the time mind you, had impregnated my daughter, but she said that was impossible because she had ovaries. Now, she could've said 'I'm really a girl' and left it at that. However, she didn't."

"But it was all part of her sense of humor, so it wasn't that big of a deal," Mrs. Kaioh replied, smiling sweetly while glaring venomously at her husband.

"I apologize on the behalf of my daughter," Mrs. Tenoh replied, glancing venomously at Haruka, who seemed to lower her head in shame at her mother's disapproving states, "But I must say this now: I'm not so sure that your daughter is quite as squeaky clean as you say she is."

"How so?" Mrs. Kaioh asked, her eyes narrowed.

Mrs. Tenoh withdrew slightly, clearly not willing to find herself into a confrontation against her counterpart. Glancing aside, she mumbled, "Well, you know what the two of them did together, right?"

"I assume they made love," Mrs. Kaioh replied, simply.

"You know, you seem awfully laid back about that," Mrs. Tenoh replied, surprised, "I mean, aren't you a little upset about that? About your daughter losing her virginity?"

"Well, she's a mature girl. She has the right to make the proper decisions."

"She's only seventeen."

"Doesn't matter. We've treated her with the respect of an adult since she was a young girl, so I can expect her to only make mature, adult choices, no matter how old she is."

Mr. Kaioh frowned slightly before saying, hastily, "If it's any consolation I'm not exactly happy about that decision either."

"Dear, shut up," Mrs. Kaioh replied, glancing over at her husband venomously.

"But think about it for a second! I mean, I understand that having sex isn't as bad as drugs or whatever, but think about it! Sex! We didn't have sex until we were in our twenties, not as a teenager!"

"What's sex?" Fujiko asked, clearly confused.

"Don't worry about it," Haruka replied, forcing herself to smile for her sister's sake.

"Is it what you were doing before when you were kissing Michiru-mama and--"

"Hotaru, shut up," Haruka hissed.

"You know, Yusuke, I completely agree with you," Mr. Tenoh replied, "I think they're way too young to make decisions like this, but even more so, I can respect you for saying that."

"Thank you."

"However, why did they do it? What possessed our kids to do something like this? What exactly happened? What were you two doing when it happened?"

"Precisely what I'd like to know," Mr. Kaioh said, frowning.

"How did you two meet?"

"When did you realize you were in love?"

"What are you going to do in the future, anyway?"

"One at a time!" Haruka stammered, running a hand through her short hair, her eyes wide and anxious. So many questions, so many queries, all of them overwhelming her, tearing her apart, straining her psyche, forcing her down into the ground with the weight of all of their parent's terrible, weighty questions, each one worse than the last. Finally, running a shaky hand through her hair, she said, slowly, "It all just happened in a rush. This girl, Elza, friend of mine, introduced me to Michiru, and Michiru, well, she had a crush on me first, but the moment she told me this, I knew I would do anything for her. Anything at all. I know the question you all want to know, right? When we lost our virginity? I know that's the thing you're all asking yourselves. Well, the truth is, we lost it after something really bad and amazing happened."

The truth was Haruka lost her virginity not long after the entire affair with Mistress 9, after she witnessed the messiah in the form of Usagi salvage the world from darkness, a beauty that left her in stunned silence. Now without the weight of the world on her shoulders, Haruka opened herself up to her lover even more than ever before, opening herself up to her lover. But how the hell could she share that sort of thing with her parents? She couldn't tell them she was really Uranus, could she? Of course not. She'd have to improvise something. "It was just that, well, after that whole affair with Mugen Academy blowing up, we were caught in that explosion."

"Oh Goodness!" Mrs. Tenoh reached out and placed her palm on Haruka's shoulder, as though ensuring it was still intact. Haruka glanced over at Setsuna and Hotaru, then at Ami and Mako-chan. They all knew the truth about what had happened at Mugen, and knew far too well of the horrors that had taken place there. Hotaru especially was trembling, her eyes wide and terrified.

"We got out alright, mom, don't worry. A few bruises here and there. But, you see, the thing is that after that, well, we knew we weren't immortal. We knew we could die at any minute if something like that happened again, so we both agreed--"

"--we'd ensure that every second of every day should be lived to the fullest," Michiru completed, wearing a melancholy smile on her lips, "I had no problem opening myself up, and neither did Haruka. We just needed to experience something like love making before we died. It was a necessity, and it was an experience we've since repeated multiple times."

The table was silent for a moment or two before Mr. Kaioh said, "So you had sex with my daughter after you almost died?"

"That's correct."

"I see. I understand that the circumstances at first must've been extreme, but tell me who suggested to have sex first? Was it Michiru or was it you?"

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Mr. Tenoh asked, aggressively, "What do you mean by 'you'?"

"I mean your daughter, Haruka," Mr. Kaioh said, "Did she suggest to have sex or was it Michiru?"

"Now I know my daughter! If they said they both wanted to do it they both wanted to do it. My daughter wouldn't force someone to do something like that against their will." At the sound of Mr. Tenoh's declaration, Setsuna, Hotaru, Michiru, Ami, and Mako-chan all simultaneously glanced away, refusing to make eye contact with the clearly uninformed individual who had not seen Haruka threaten, beat, and kill several people to reach her ends. Haruka noticed this, and, in shame, lowered her head, her bangs falling over her eyes.

"Maybe, but that's why I said Michiru could've--"

"But the way you said it implied you didn't believe your daughter could tempt my Haruka."

"Now look here! Michiru is a very beautiful girl, but she isn't a temptress!" Now Haruka shook her head in disbelief. While Michiru wasn't truly a temptress, she could be quite the flirt sometimes. She knew that she had teased Seiya in her dressing room, and had come to terms with this. She knew that Michiru teased boys just like Haurka teased girls. Her blue haired goddess was almost definately bisexual, while Haruka was exclusively interested in women.

"Look, I was the one who suggested it," Michiru said, struggling to remain calm and majestic, but Haruka noted how her voice cracked at the end of her statement, how her statement trembled as her angel trembled, her knees buckling underneath her, "But make no mistake, we both--"

"So you are the reason my daughter lost her virginity?" Mr. Tenoh replied, anxiously.

"No, you heard her. They both agreed, so they're both equally to blame," Mrs. Tenoh said, "We shouldn't waste time pinning the blame on each other. We're not going to accomplish anything like that."

"She's right. Yusuke, sit. Now," Mrs. Kaioh replied, tugging down on her husband's shirt, pulling him fiercely back into his chair, a stunned expression on his face.

"Look, I think we all need to just think this over," Mrs. Tenoh said, anxiously, "I mean, when she first told me, I mean, when they both told me this, I was really bothered by that, and I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I guess I just sort of overreacted. But, I've been thinking about it ever since then, and I figure that it's okay if you're a lesbian, but having sex at such a young age, and adopting a child, even with the clearly more mature Setsuna here, it's just too much for me to handle right now. I need time to digest this. I'm sorry, but, Haruka, Michiru, until I can figure all this out, I feel it's best you try to work out your own affairs, try to understand what you want and what you don't want, but most of all, try to understand if you really love each other or not."

"Anyone can tell their affections are genuine, Mrs. Tenoh," Mako-chan said, speaking for the first time, "It's clear they love each other, and--"

"Tell me something, Mako-chan, are you a parent?"

"No."

"What would your parents say if you started having sex, and they found out."

"I wouldn't know. My parents are both dead."

Mrs. Tenoh's eyes widened behind her glasses as she lowered her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay, I understand," replied Mako-chan, "It's all in the past, you know."

"Yes, well, Ami, what would your parents say?"

"Well, my mother would probably warn me about the dangers of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, show me some of the patients she's treated over the years who had sex before they were adults, crab victims--"

"Is your mother a gynecologist?"

"No, a general doctor."

"Oh, so you must be pretty smart," Mrs. Tenoh replied, "I guess you must have a pretty good head on your shoulders."

Ami blushed, embarrassed by the compliment. "I don't know about that."

"Ami, you're a genius," Mako-chan laughed, patting Ami's shoulder with her hand, her fingers once more lingering a little longer than they should've, "She has an IQ of 300, and she's highly ranked amongst all the standardized test scores in all of Japan!"

"A prodigy?" Mrs. Kaioh stammered, visibly grateful for something to deviate the conversation away from their daughter's sex lives.

"I suppose," Ami replied, blushing deep red, "But it comes at a price. I didn't have a lot of friends until I met Usagi, and it's thanks to her that I met everyone here."

"Usagi?" Mrs. Tenoh asked, curiously, "Who's she?"

"Oh, buns head?" Haruka laughed, "Oh, she's a nice girl. You'd probably like her. A very peculiar individual, let's say, but she's friendly."

"She'll accept anyone, even if they have faults or try to hurt her," Mako-chan replied, "I was also pretty lonley. You see, people tended to be afraid of me because of my size, but Usagi never had a problem with it. She was always there."

"Still, people are still uncomfortable around me, aside from my close friends," Ami replied, smiling a sad smile, "There's a reason I never even had a date before."

"What do you mean? Aren't you and you an item?" Mrs. Kaioh asked, confused, pointing at Ami and Mako-chan.

"Huh?" Mako-chan drew her hand away from Ami's shoulder, blush running up her cheeks, as Ami cocked her head, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Ami replied, "I'm not a lesbian, or at least I don't think I am. I'm not really sure to be honest. I've never had a crush on anyone, so I suppose there's no evidence in favor of me liking boys, and I've never put much thought into girls, so I don't know. Maybe I'm just uninterested in sexuality or romance."

"Now, Haruka, why couldn't you be more like that?" Mr. Tenoh asked, pointing toward Ami, who now hid her face in her hands as blush filled her cheeks.

"Dear, look, it's getting late, we should probably head out," Mrs. Tenoh replied, rising to her feet, looking down at her daughter with a small smile, "Look, Haruka, I'm sorry about before. No matter what, you're still my daughter, and I do love you. Just, next time, when you have a lot of stuff piling up that you haven't told me, can you maybe try telling me a little bit here and a little bit there instead of just dumping it all on me at once? Could you? Please?"

"I guess I could give it a try," Haruka replied, laughing awkwardly as though to relieve the tension.

"Alright, I'm almost done here," Mr. Kaioh replied, turning toward his counterpart, "However, I need to handle one thing first. My daughter must've been tempted by your girl's boyish looks."

"Wait, what!?" Mr. Tenoh stammered, spinning on his feet, "Boyish?!"

"Dear, shut up. Now," Mrs. Kaioh replied in a venomously soft whisper, enough to scare little children in their nightmares, but it wasn't enough for Mr. Kaioh to be deterred from his final blow against Haruka's father.

"I just need to know why you dressed her up as a boy, or encouraged that sort of lifestyle for your daughter," Mr. Kaioh asked, frowning.

"My daughter was--is--my princess, alright? I always wanted her to act feminine and sweet."

"Coming to my house in a tuxedo? Very girly."

"Oh, listen you little bastard, there wasn't a single moment during this whole dinner I didn't want to hit you really hard, but right now, I'm really tempted to submit to my urges."

"Look, if your daughter wants to dress like a boy, that's fine, but let's face facts that she said, in her own words, she 'has ovaries.'"

It was a that precise moment that Mrs. Kaioh reached out for Mr. Kaioh's shoulders, and pinched a visible nerve on his body. His body went rigid as it collapsed into her arms. With a dramatic cry, Mrs. Kaioh sobbed, "Oh, Yusuke! Someone must've knocked you out! Here, let me just bring you to the car! Don't mind us. Take care, Michiru, Haruka, everyone else. Let me just drag this body out. You deserve it for making a fuss, you idiot."

As Michiru's mother left through the front door, Haruka glanced at Michiru, a nervous glint in her eyes. "Remind me never to piss off your mom, alright?"

"Not a problem," Michiru said, smiling pleasantly.

"So, uh, what's for dessert?" Fujiko asked, curiously.


End file.
